Vegas News | There’s Always Something New

My weekend started with a friend and I enjoying one of my favorite Las Vegas experiences. The day started with Happy Hour lunch at Pizza Rock. We played no-commission Pai Gow poker, blackjack, craps, and slot machines for a few hours at Downtown Grand and returned to Pizza Rock for midnight beers and meatballs at the late night Happy Hour.

I love Pai Gow poker and play often. This was my first time playing EZ-PG. After looking at the house edge on Wizard of Odds I think commission is a better version for the play.

There’s always something new in Las Vegas. We played a different version of Pai Gow poker inside the casino and ran into this neon-lit truck with a dude jammin’ on the drums afterward. I thought it was pretty cool but there weren’t many people looking on. Maybe it was the song selection. On to Vegas News from the past week.

Station Casinos Sets Plan For Palms

Earlier this week Station Casinos detailed their first phase of upgrades to Palms and announced the second phase. You can read all about it at Station Casinos Plan For Palms Much More Than Lipstick On A Pig. I won’t rehash the article but the plans are pretty hefty. The change in everything might be better received if they changed the name. Would probably take away any negative comparisons to the original Palms.

Monte Carlo > Park MGM Debut Schedule And Future Plans

Red Rock Resorts wasn’t the only casino operator to report earnings this week. MGM Resorts International posted third quarter earnings. A few things stood out but the company, again, pointed to Monte Carlo as being a drag on everyone and everything.

Park MGM Timeline: Construction at Monte Carlo is almost at a peak right now. The property will be rebranded as Park MGM by the end of the first quarter of 2018. You can see the Park MGM preview website now. Most of the construction will be done by this time too. The property will feel like a new resort sometime in the second quarter of 2018.

Park MGM Profile: The main casino-resort will be known as Park MGM. This property will be ranked slightly above The Mirage and MGM Grand of the MGM Resorts International properties in Las Vegas. The majority of the property will be seen as mid-level to upper mid-level. NoMad will be on par with luxury resorts in Las Vegas in every way.

Park MGM Financial Expectations: MGM Resorts International expects the return on capital expenditure on the renovations and upgrades at Monte Carlo to be highest they’ve ever had. They’ve said this before but if the conversion meets their expectations we should look for more redevelopment in the future.

Sorry, Mr. Wynn, you won’t have the first zipline on the Vegas Strip when Wynn Paradise Park opens. Caesars Entertainment is planning construction of a zipline at The Linq in 2018. Fly Linq will take off above Vortex and zoom over the outdoor promenade to the High Roller observation wheel.

There’s no opening date set yet because there isn’t a specific construction timeframe yet. Expect to hear more about this in the months ahead. You can read more about Fly Linq here.

Last but not least, Papaya King is officially closing its doors at both Las Vegas stores. Read more here. It has to be difficult to pay the rent by selling only traditional hot dogs. I recently visited the west side location of Dirt Dog and they have a business plan that could work for a hot dog shop. The hot dogs are delicious but they’re a bit expensive. Each fancy hot dog costs $6.25. Add fries and a drink (soda or beer) and your bill is somewhere between $10 and $15. That’s how a hot dog shop makes money in 2017.

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Marc

Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He's the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. He learned about gambling at a young age working down the street from a bookie who took action on anything from the mainstream sports to the last three digits of the purse for certain horse races. Yeah, that's a thing. Today Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant which allows him to work anywhere there's a wifi signal. This allows him to work from the sportsbook at Red Rock Resort or the food court at The Venetian where you’ll find fast and free wifi. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.